Skid steer loaders are versatile machines which are virtually indispensable on many job sites. Skid steer loaders can move dirt and other materials and a skilled driver can use a skid steer to rough grade a surface. A skid steer cannot however provide full grading services. Fine grading requires a blade that can be rotated at the ground's surface and tilted into that surface.
Many grader and grader attachments have been described for skid steers and other equipment which attempt to address the maneuverability required for finish grading. For example, Meyer et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,348 B1) describes a bi-directional surface leveling system which can be pushed and pulled across a surface to be graded. Several mounting systems have been described that allow the grader blade to be tilted and rotated (U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,625, U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,363, U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,056 B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,383 B1). Likewise, attachments for tractors, skid steers and other vehicles have been described, each attempting to address the need for fine grading. These references show graders that are pushed ahead of the powered vehicles (U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,582, U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,398, U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,348 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,225 B1 and Japanese Patent No. JPO200102031A) or pulled behind a powered vehicle (U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,105, U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,247, U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,880 and PCT International Publication No. WO 87/05350). None of these grader attachments however provide the full blade movement and precise control necessary to perform fine grading operations.
Therefore, a need remains for a grader attachment for a small machine, such as a skid steer, that allows that machine to perform with the precision and maneuverability required to complete fine grading operations. The grader attachment should allow the grader block to be rotated across the ground and tilted into the ground. Further, blade position is important to complete fine grading and thus, the attachment should provide a means to accurately control the blade.
All patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications and publications referred to or cited herein, are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of the specification.